The criminal record certificate (certidão de antecedentes criminais) is issued by the Federal Police and by the state Civil Police forces, and you can request it yourself. Antecedentes Criminais Brasil is a private service, not a government agency: we explain the route and help when it gets complicated, with the Hague apostille, sworn translation and issuance for people living abroad.
Quick answer
To get a Brazilian criminal record certificate, start with the Federal Police (Polícia Federal, PF) certificate on the gov.br service. Online issuance is free, normally immediate, and the document is valid for 90 days. If the system gives you a protocol number, follow the service the PF indicates. If you also need a state certificate (atestado estadual), go to the agency of the relevant state.
Summary table
| Document | Agency | Cost | Time | Validity | Service link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal certificate | Federal Police | Free | Immediate with regular online issuance | 90 days | Issue it on gov.br |
| Federal certificate with a protocol | Federal Police | Free service | Up to 15 days after the case is referred to a PF unit | 90 days for the issued certificate | Federal service above |
| State certificate, Minas Gerais (MG) | Minas Gerais state service | Check the portal | Check the portal | Check the portal | Minas Gerais government portal |
| State certificate, Paraná (PR) | Paraná state service | Free | Up to 24 hours | 90 days | Paraná services portal |
| Police certificate, Rio Grande do Sul (RS) | Rio Grande do Sul Civil Police | Check the portal | Check the portal | Check the portal | RS Civil Police website |
| State certificate, Bahia (BA) | Bahia Civil Police | Check the portal | Immediate | Check the portal | Bahia Civil Police portal |
| State certificate, Rio de Janeiro (RJ) | Félix Pacheco Identification Institute | Free | Check the portal | Check the portal | RJ certificate service |
Before you start: which document do you need?
The Federal Police issues the Criminal Record Certificate (Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais, CAC) through its federal service. The state Civil Police forces have their own services, with requirements that can vary from state to state.
This matters because the federal certificate does not necessarily contain every record held by the state authorities.
Federal or state: how to decide
The National Criminal Information System (Sistema Nacional de Informações Criminais, SINIC), which the Federal Police uses, receives data from Individual Criminal Reports (Boletins Individuais Criminais).
The system necessarily covers crimes within the jurisdiction of the Federal Police and the Federal Courts. Information from the state courts and the Civil Police is incorporated only partially, through agreements, without full coverage of those bodies' records.
For that reason you may need separate certificates.
To decide where to begin, look at how the requesting party describes the document:
- If the request mentions the Federal Police or a federal certificate, use the PF service.
- If it mentions the Civil Police or state criminal records, identify the state and check the responsible agency.
- If it asks for certificates from different agencies, check each one separately. Do not treat the issuance of one as proof that the others have been obtained.
- If the request only says "criminal record", confirm with the requesting institution which document it wants you to submit.
What to check before opening the service
Identify the agency named in the request and see whether a specific state is mentioned.
If you are going to use a state service, also check where your identity card was issued. In some states, that detail decides whether online service is available.
In Minas Gerais, for example, the electronic service described is for holders of an identity card issued in that state. In Bahia and Rio de Janeiro there are also conditions tied to the identity document.
If you want to understand the documents better before applying, read our page on the Brazilian criminal record certificate. This guide focuses on the order of the actions you need to take to obtain the document.
Steps 1 to 3: how to get the Federal Police certificate online
The federal request is the most direct route when the document required is the Federal Police Criminal Record Certificate.
The service is available online, costs the citizen nothing and produces a certificate valid for 90 days.
Step 1: open the PF issuance service
Go to the gov.br page called Emitir Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais (Issue Criminal Record Certificate).
The address of the service is:
https://www.gov.br/pt-br/servicos/emitir-certidao-de-antecedentes-criminais
Use the page to start the request and follow the path the system shows you.
The procedure must be done through the corresponding government service. You do not need to hire Antecedentes Criminais Brasil to try to obtain the federal certificate.
Issuance directly by the Federal Police is free of charge.
For specific details about this document, also see the Brazilian federal police certificate.
Step 2: follow the system's instructions
After opening the service, follow the instructions shown on the request page.
The exact sequence of fields on the screen is not described in the sources consulted; follow the instructions of the system.
The decisive point is to watch how the system responds to your request.
There are two main situations:
- The certificate is issued: go on to checking the document.
- Issuance is not completed and the system gives you a protocol number: follow the Federal Police service procedure described below.
The Federal Police explains that people with the same name (homonyms) can prevent automatic online issuance.
A mismatch between your CPF (Brazilian taxpayer number) data and the Federal Revenue database can also occur.
Step 3: check the certificate you received
When online issuance is completed, the certificate can be printed.
The federal service reports immediate service for regular issuance and a validity of 90 days for the document.
A certificate issued through the PF service shows the statement "NADA CONSTA" (roughly, "nothing on record") when, in the database the service considers, there is no final conviction (decisão condenatória com trânsito em julgado) on record.
That expression has to be understood within the scope of the document itself.
The PF's electronic service does not issue a "CONSTA" (something on record) certificate. The corresponding information depends on in-person confirmation before the Federal Police, especially because of homonym cases.
To understand the difference between looking up information and issuing a document, see our guide on how to check a Brazilian criminal record.
When the request gets stuck: protocol, PF unit and up to 15 days
Not every online request ends with immediate issuance.
The Federal Police reports situations in which the citizen cannot get the certificate automatically. Two of them are the existence of homonyms and a mismatch between CPF data and the Federal Revenue database.
The procedure provided for these cases involves a protocol number and service at a PF unit.
If a protocol number appears
When the system generates a protocol number, use it to follow the service route indicated.
The federal service's instruction is that the protocol be taken, by the citizen or by an attorney-in-fact (procurador), to a decentralized unit of the Federal Police.
The sequence is:
- Note the protocol number generated by the system.
- Take the protocol and your original documents to the PF unit, in person or through an attorney-in-fact.
The federal service reports that in these situations the certificate can take up to 15 days to be ready.
Homonym: why did the certificate not come out?
Homonyms are people who have the same name.
According to the Federal Police, the existence of homonyms can prevent the Criminal Record Certificate from being issued online.
If that is the situation shown during your request, the indicated action is to follow the protocol.
CPF mismatch with the Federal Revenue
Another situation expressly provided for in the service is a mismatch between the CPF data and the Federal Revenue database.
In that case the system may also generate a protocol for referral to the Federal Police.
The confirmed procedure is to take that protocol to the responsible unit, in person or through an attorney-in-fact.
The facts available for this guide do not include a complete list of specific documents for each type of mismatch. So, before your appointment, confirm directly with the unit which originals will be needed.
How long does in-person service take?
The federal service reports an estimated waiting time of up to 30 minutes at PF units.
So there are two distinct pieces of information:
- Up to 30 minutes of estimated waiting time for service at the unit.
- Up to 15 days for the certificate to be ready after the protocol case is referred.
If issuance got stuck and you need guidance on the next procedure, Antecedentes Criminais Brasil offers private assistance. Time and price for the assistance are given after we review your case.
Step 4: how to get a state criminal record certificate
If the institution asked for a state document, or if you need certificates from different agencies, the next step is to check the service of the relevant state.
Based on the sources analyzed, there is no single electronic procedure that can be described as valid for all Brazilian states.
The portals have their own conditions, especially regarding where the RG (state identity card) or the national identity card (Carteira de Identidade Nacional, CIN) was issued.
Below are five documented examples. Use the one that matches the state of the document you need to obtain.
Minas Gerais (MG)
In Minas Gerais, the online criminal record certificate service is available to holders of an identity card issued in that state.
Anyone whose identity card was issued by another state must request the certificate in person in Minas Gerais, without an appointment, according to the state portal's instructions.
Before trying online issuance, check where your identity card was issued. Use the service Obter o Atestado de Antecedentes Criminais (Obtain the Criminal Record Certificate) on the official Minas Gerais government portal.
Paraná (PR)
In Paraná, the service for requesting a criminal record certificate is offered online and is free.
The state portal reports an issuance time of up to 24 hours and a validity of 90 days for the document.
Start the procedure on the service Solicitar Atestado de Antecedentes Criminais (Request a Criminal Record Certificate), available on the Paraná government services portal.
The full list of data and documents needed for the request in Paraná was not found in the official content consulted. Confirm the requirements directly on the responsible portal.
Rio Grande do Sul (RS)
In Rio Grande do Sul, the Police Records Certificate (Certidão de Antecedentes Policiais) is issued through the website of the state Civil Police.
The service is identified on the page Emitir Certidão de Antecedentes Policiais of the RS Civil Police.
Time, validity and document conditions: the information was not found in the official content consulted; confirm directly on the website of the responsible agency.
Bahia (BA)
In Bahia, the Criminal Record Certificate (Certificado de Antecedentes Criminais) shows whether or not criminal records were found in the computerized records of the Institute of Public Security, Statistics and Criminal Research (Instituto de Segurança Pública, Estatística e Pesquisa Criminal, ISPE), which is linked to the Bahia Civil Police.
The document can be requested on the website antecedentes.pc.ba.gov.br or at the Citizen Service (Serviço de Atendimento ao Cidadão, SAC) posts.
To use the online service, the applicant must be over 18 and hold an RG issued by the Bahia Public Security Secretariat.
Anyone with an RG from another state must request the certificate by email to the ISPE, attaching a copy of the identity document.
The address given by the state service is antecedentecriminal.ispe@pcivil.ba.gov.br.
The reported issuance time is immediate. For in-person service, the reference given is about 15 minutes.
Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
In Rio de Janeiro, the certificate is issued by the Félix Pacheco Identification Institute (Instituto de Identificação Félix Pacheco, IIFP), a body of the state Civil Police.
The online service is for citizens who hold an RG or CIN issued in Rio de Janeiro by Detran-RJ or by the IIFP itself.
For foreigners and holders of identity documents issued in other states, the service directs them to request the Declaração de Assentamentos Civis e Criminais (Declaration of Civil and Criminal Records), under the conditions shown on the portal.
The service reported for the certificate is free of charge.
What about other states?
For the states not detailed above, look for the portal of the Civil Police or of the state agency responsible for issuing criminal records.
Use the page on the state criminal record certificate as a guide and confirm the requirements on the portal of the relevant agency.
When you check the state service, concentrate on three questions:
- Is the document you were asked for really issued by that agency?
- Does online issuance fit the conditions of your identity document?
- Does the portal give any specific guidance if the electronic request is not possible?
How to check and validate the certificate
After you get the certificate, the next stage is to check the document before you submit it.
Validating the federal certificate
gov.br offers a specific service for validating the Criminal Record Certificate issued by the Federal Police.
If you issued the federal document, use the corresponding validation option and follow the instructions of the government service.
To understand this stage, read how to verify a Brazilian criminal record certificate.
Validating state documents
For state documents, validation depends on the service provided by the issuing agency.
In the state of São Paulo, for example, there is a service for validating the authenticity of the information in the criminal record certificate, at no charge to the citizen.
If your document was issued by a state Civil Police, check the instructions of the issuing agency.
Also check the validity period
The federal certificate from the Federal Police is valid for 90 days.
The Paraná state certificate is also valid for 90 days, according to the state service.
Do not confuse three different pieces of information: the time needed to issue, the validity period after issuance, and the document requirements of the institution that will receive the certificate.
Even when the document is within the validity period stated by the issuing agency, the receiving institution may have its own requirements. There is no basis in the sources consulted to promise acceptance in any procedure.
For use abroad: issuance, apostille and translation
If the Brazilian certificate will be used outside Brazil, organize the procedure in this order: issue the document, check the applicable apostille, and arrange translation when required.
For Brazilian documents intended for countries party to the Hague Apostille Convention, the apostille is done at authorized notary offices (cartórios). The Federal Police also directs Brazilians abroad to the consular guidance of Itamaraty (Brazil's foreign ministry) on legalization of documents.
The sources consulted do not confirm that an apostille extends or renews the 90-day validity of the federal certificate. Acceptance of the document and translation requirements must be confirmed with the receiving institution.
See our guidance on the Hague apostille for criminal records and use abroad.
Sources
The information on issuance, protocols, in-person service, validity and state services was organized from the following government sources:
- gov.br portal, Emitir Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais. Federal service, free of charge, issuance, homonyms, CPF mismatch, protocols and service by the Federal Police.
https://www.gov.br/pt-br/servicos/emitir-certidao-de-antecedentes-criminais
- Federal Police, Antecedentes Criminais. Guidance on free issuance, 90-day validity and documentation for use abroad.
https://www.gov.br/pf/pt-br/assuntos/antecedentes-criminais
- Minas Gerais Government, Obter o Atestado de Antecedentes Criminais. Conditions for online issuance tied to a Minas Gerais identity card and in-person service for documents from other states.
https://www.mg.gov.br/servico/obter-o-atestado-de-antecedentes-criminais
- Rio Grande do Sul Civil Police, Emitir Certidão de Antecedentes Policiais. State channel responsible for issuing the document.
https://www.pc.rs.gov.br/emitir-certidao-de-antecedentes-policiais
- Rio de Janeiro, Serviço de Atestado de Antecedentes. Information from the Félix Pacheco Identification Institute, RG/CIN requirements, free of charge and conditions that apply to other identity documents.
https://atestadodic.detran.rj.gov.br/Apresentacao.aspx
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Antecedentes Criminais Brasil is a private assistance service, not a government body. Assisted issuance starts from R$ 30, the Hague apostille service from R$ 95 and sworn translation from R$ 110 per page. Notary office fees and shipping are charged separately, where applicable.